From Portland, Ore., to Honolulu; from Philadelphia to Reno, Nev.; from Norfolk, Va. to Fort Worth, Texas; and from Amherst, Mass., to Atlanta … major college basketball teams will be facing off against each other Dec. 21-22 and on Christmas Eve in SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
But on Dec. 19, their coaches all will be on the same team fighting the same opponent, at the annual Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser at Kani Ka Pila Grille in the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort. The dinner event is set for 7 p.m., with proceeds to benefit the Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge Hawai’i program supporting local families of cancer patients being treated on O’ahu.
Coaches vs. Cancer is a support program in coordination with the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
“We host one of the great tournaments in the country, the Diamond Head Classic, and that’s a way we can get seven different (Mainland) coaches involved every year,” said Hawai’i coach Eran Ganot, who initiated the first local event in 2016 featuring former North Carolina coach Roy Williams. “It’s incredible to see how far it’s come. The goal is to raise a lot of money and awareness, and each year we’ve done more of that. And we need to keep going with it …
“It’s been a really incredible experience, a great time, great food, great company. It speaks to the volume of how important it is to so many people when we all as coaches who are preparing for a tournament just a couple days later, can step aside and come together for a great cause.”
Ganot said Hope Lodge Hawai’i is a “special place” that he has brought his team to visit.
“It has done incredible things to give care,” Ganot said. “We all come from different backgrounds and some people need more help than others, and this is another avenue they can go to. I think when we went in 2016, we actually had our guys visit and did our check presentation right there.
“We have all been directly or indirectly impacted by (cancer), friends and family. There’s been a lot inroads made, but more work needs to be done, and we want to do our part in Hawai’i. I can’t thank our sponsors enough and the great people of Hawai’i enough. I’m sure everybody here has been touched by it in one way, shape or form, so we’re all in this together. It’s really important to a lot of people.”
For more information, or to purchase tickets to the event, please follow this link:
Coaches vs. Cancer Fundraiser | HBF Site (hawaiibowlfoundation.org)